


(not) together

by halfwheeze



Series: Winteriron Bingo 2019 (Round 1) [11]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bets, Bets & Wagers, Gay Panic, Getting Together, He's just tryna be a friend, High School AU, Jealousy, M/M, Overprotective Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Tony buys lunch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 19:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18414365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwheeze/pseuds/halfwheeze
Summary: Bucky doesn't like guys, has never even thought about it really, but acting like he's Tony's boyfriend for just a second to get Justin Hammer out of his face, well, that might trigger something.





	(not) together

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually two fills in one!
> 
> Bucky Barnes Bingo Square U3: Jealousy 
> 
> &&
> 
> Winteriron Bingo Square B5: Gay Panic!

It’s not rational at  _ all  _ for Bucky to be angry right now, but both of his hands are balled into fists and he’s about to put metal through Justin Hammer’s face, he swears to God. The junior is leaning against Tony’s locker like he belongs there and Bucky is bearing teeth, walking up behind Hammer and is about to drag him off when he makes eye contact with Tony, who gives him a sly signal for a no. Instead, he tilts his head slowly toward the lockers, as if for Bucky to come around Hammer and…  _ oh.  _ Okay, yeah, Bucky can give it the fake boyfriend one-two even if he’s not gay, if Tony wants him to. Bucky isn’t gay, has never been attracted to a dude before, but he can help Tony out. 

“Hey Tones. What’s up?” he asks as he puts an arm around his friend’s shoulders. He’s quietly pleased as Tony’s arm goes down and around Bucky’s own waist, the shorter boy leaning against his chest comfortably. Hammer doesn’t even seem to register the public display of affection, instead ignoring Bucky entirely and continuing his leering approach of speaking to Tony, which is still making Bucky’s blood boil. It’s totally fine. Tony leans against him a little harder, obviously uncomfortable, as Hammer speaks. 

“So, Tony, you know the charity benefit that my dad is hosting? I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. You know, since our dads are talking about company stuff, I thought it might be fun,” Hammer suggests, but it’s the way that he is  _ looking  _ at Tony that makes it fucking weird. Bucky wraps his arm a little tighter around Tony. 

“He’s busy that night,” he grinds out with a wink, making it as lascivious as he can with the deep gravel of his voice. Hammer looks at him as if he’s just noticing a linebacker that’s taller than he is, but that’s fine. Bucky doesn’t even play football anymore, what with the metal arm and everything, but he’s still not a small guy. 

“How do you know what night it is?” Hammer asks, his nasally voice pitching up an octave as he looks up at Bucky. Bucky looks at him with a smile that's just as condescending as Bucky feels before he leans over just a bit, pressing a kiss onto Tony's forehead. 

"He's busy any night you want anything to do with him, trust me. We'll figure something out before he goes out with the likes of you," Bucky assures, eyebrow raised as his smile turns into something dangerous. His pleasure is edged with something sharp, something angry as Hammer rushes away with a little squeak that sounds like fear, making the absolute bitch in Bucky grin. He pulls his arm off of Tony when Hammer turns the corner,  nodding once at the other boy before assuming the position that Hammer was in before Bucky walked up. 

"That was awesome," Tony says, and Bucky knows a thank you when he hears one, even if Tony can't stumble his way through the words. He knows that he'll probably find some little gadget in his locker one of these days that means all of the words that Tony doesn't know how to say, and that they won't talk about it. Steve used to find them all the time before the two of them had some kind of falling out that Bucky still doesn't know anything about. He avoids all discussion of it by simply not bringing it up, because Steve and Tony sure as fuck aren't going to want to talk about it themselves. Bucky shrugs his shoulders. 

"What was he asking you to come with him for, anyway? Something about his dad?" Bucky asks, raising an eyebrow. He knows that Tony and Hammer are both richer than shit, but he doesn't really know what Hammer's family does. Everyone knows the Starks and the tech that Tony himself has already started developing along with what his father has done since long before Tony was born, but the Hammers are a bit more lowkey. Lowkey, in this case, just means that they're not as good at what they do, but no shade from Bucky, of course. He's definitely not biased in Tony's direction in any fashion. It's not like they've been friends for several years. He notes Tony rolling his eyes with a smirk, pleased for some reason that Tony is just as exasperated as he is. 

"His father is likely trying to negotiate some sort of agreement with my dad, and he thinks it will go smoother if me and Justin are seen together in public. It's laughable is what it is; my dad hates Justin more than he hates even Justin's dad, and seeing him with me isn't going to change that at all. In fact, it might even make it worse," Tony explains, breathing a laugh out through his nose. Bucky doesn't like the way that it sounds like Howard's opinion of someone can be dragged down by attachment to Tony, but that has to be something that Bucky is misinterpreting. He doesn't want to want to get into a fist fight with Howard Stark, and it's building in his chest anyway. 

"Want me to keep scarin' him off? I don' mind at all, Tones," Bucky offers, not even surprised at himself for saying it without thinking. He wouldn't mind, so it's not even like he's lying. Tony shakes his head, sardonic smile taking over his face. 

"You're not even gay, Buckaboo. No reason for you to stake what rep you have left on keeping Justin Hammer out of my hair. Him, I can handle myself," Tony promises, but it just makes Bucky narrow his eyes. 

"Who else is bothering you?" he asks. The warning bell rings immediately after he says that, giving Bucky a flash of anger that he can scarcely identify the source of; he's rarely so angry about little things, or irritable in any fashion. Whatever. Tony grins at him and grabs his books out of his locker, slamming it shut before turning his back on Bucky. 

"See you at lunch, hero!" Tony calls after him, sticking up two fingers in a peace sign thrown behind himself. Bucky smiles despite himself and shakes his head, moving in the opposite direction of Tony's walk to the science hall to make his own way to World History, sliding into his seat just as the late bell tolls. 

“Hey, where were you?” Steve asks him just before the teacher, Dr Selvig, begins. Bucky is pretty sure that Selvig has two or three degrees, one of them in history and at least one in science, way over qualified to be a high school teacher, but he starts every year with a speech about how sharing wisdom is his passion, so Bucky figures he’s fine. He sure provides a fine misdirection for Steve’s question, allowing Bucky to avoid spilling the details of his little run-in with Tony and Hammer at least for the next hour and twenty minutes. 

An hour and twenty minutes that goes way too quickly when Bucky is using it as a method to avoid a conversation he doesn’t want to have. He tries to rush out faster than Stevie, but the kid is like a dog on a scent when he thinks that Bucky doesn't want to tell him something, especially since after the accident. Bucky doesn't roll his eyes when Steve grabs his arm, but it's a close thing. 

"So what happened before class? Are you okay? Is there anyone I need to talk to?" Steve asks, overprotective grip on Bucky's arm almost hard enough to hurt, making Bucky almost glad that Steve is never all that comfortable with the metal arm. He doesn't particularly know why Steve doesn't like the metal arm (Bucky likes it just fine and it's Bucky's fucking arm, but whatever), but that doesn't matter. He shakes the other boy off with a laugh that's not even forced, and he's a bit proud of himself just for that. 

"I got caught up talkin' to Tony. It's no big," Bucky insists despite knowing that Steve won't like that answer at all. True to form, Steve scowls, but at least this time he doesn't say anything. Bucky doesn't want to have to punch his best friend in the mouth, but if Stevie wants to talk shit about Tony, it's just gonna have to happen. Which is weird, right? He shouldn't be feeling so damn protective of Tony all of the sudden just because he saw some creep trying to pick him up for business reasons but... it really rubbed Bucky the wrong way for some reason. It has to be because of the nefarious purposes Hammer had for picking Tony up at all but... Bucky was angry before Tony explained all that too him. Eh, food for thought. 

"What do you even have to talk to Tony about?" Steve asks sulkily, to which Bucky actually openly rolls his eyes. He doesn't have the emotional intake right now necessary to deal with pouty, sulky Stevie and the way that he gets angry and defensive when called out for being pouty and/or sulky. Bucky pushes Steve along down the hall, making their way toward the caf. 

"Come on, punk, let's get lunch. Time's wastin'," Bucky claims, even if they still have almost fifty minutes for lunch. Their school has a weird system for lunch, giving them basically an hour of free time with the stipulation of going to tutorials if they have less than a C+ in a class during lunch at some point. None of their friends are even close to a C+, study groups organised by Jan and Bruce keeping all of them above water even when none of them want to do their work. They had even kept Bucky up on his studies during and after his kick in the hospital, and Bucky thinks about that a lot. 

“Hey hero! I got you somethin’,” Tony calls him over before Bucky and Steve can make their way over to the line. Bucky comes over with a smile and Steve hanging in behind him like a shadow (a reverse of their childhood routine that leaves Bucky feeling like he’s spinning). What Tony has for him, it turns out, is actually enough pizza for their entire table, fresh and hot like it was delivered less than twenty minutes ago. Bucky raises an eyebrow. 

“All this?” he asks, ducking his head closer to Tony above the din of the cafeteria. Tony flashes him a smile. 

“Let a boy be grateful, Hercules. You did save my ass, after all,” Tony says, winking at him. Steve’s scowl deepens, but Bucky pays him no mind as he takes the seat next to Tony, one that’s usually left empty in case Pepper actually leaves a student council meeting long enough to make it to lunch. She very rarely does, and half the time crashes into a seat next to Natasha even when she does, claiming Tony will only feed her sweets she doesn’t need to eat and stress her out even more. She’s not wrong. 

“Well, I’m grateful, fuck! Any pepperoni and pineapple?” Clint asks, opening a few pizza boxes to see. Tony rolls his eyes and pulls the box off of the bottom, passing it to Clint without even looking at it. 

“You’re disgusting,” Tony comments, his nose wrinkling in affront. It’s funny how he says that and yet still gets Clint his weird pizza, gets Nat her mushrooms and anchovies, makes sure that the twins have some weird shit that doesn’t even have tomatoes on it and makes sure that Steve has gluten free pizza. Funny how even when Steve doesn’t like Tony, the other boy still looks out for him. No shade, no tea, of course. 

“Who’d you even get to deliver to the school? I thought most of the places in the area decided you were a menace,” Bucky teases, bumping his shoulder against Tony’s as he digs into his first slice of sausage and jalapeno with gusto. Tony rolls his eyes and bumps him back, grinning as he picks up his own slice of the same. 

“Gio still loves me - might be because my dad told him not to deliver to me anymore, but that’s neither here nor there,” Tony answers, leaning against Bucky’s shoulder as he eats. It’s makes Bucky feel settled in his skin, relaxed. He doesn't give even half of a fuck when Steve glares from across the table, but that's completely because of the fact that Stevie is his best friend. Either the kid will nut the fuck up and tell Bucky exactly what went down between him and Tony or he'll get over it. It's not Bucky's job to decide which of those that will be. 

"Doesn't Gio call you... what's the Italian word for son? Doesn't he call you his son?" Clint asks through a bite of pizza, to which Natasha shoves him. 

"The word is _ figlio, _ you cretin, don't speak with your mouth full," the Russian girl says, rolling her eyes as she settles into her pizza. Bucky is about ninety percent sure that Tasha was an assassin back in Russia, or maybe in a past life, but she's completely legal for the states now, with her license and everything, so Bucky doesn't bother to question it. She's one of his closest friends besides Steve, always around to bum a smoke off of the stoners who sit out by the football field while she listens without listening to Bucky complaining. 

If she wasn't attached at the hip with Clint and he wasn't attached at the hip with Steve, he thinks that maybe they'd be best friends. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Bucky is distracted from his thoughts by Tony stuffing half of a slice of pizza into his mouth, causing about half of the table to burst into giggles, the loud and most raucous of which belong to the Maximoff twins at the cap of the table, Pietro falling on his ass out of his seat, which only inspires more giggles. 

"Yes, Gio calls me his son, but it's because I remind him of his oldest boy, the one that's on his second tour," Tony replies to Clint belatedly, setting down the second half of the pizza slice and wiping tears out of his eyes. As far as Bucky knows, Gio has three or four sons, the oldest of which is in the Middle East, the second one some sort of artist, and the last one or two a mystery to Bucky. He knows that Tony is super involved with both Gio’s family and the family that runs the flower shop on eighth. They’re more Italians, some couple with a nephew that they raise as their son, a four year old named Peter that Tony will ramble about if given half an opportunity. 

“For someone who’s supposed to be some detached rich fucker, you sure are involved. Not that I’m complaining! Love a good pizza. But, goddamn,” says Scott Lang, a recent addition to their table, but one that most everyone has come to appreciate. He and Hope van Dyne are both recent newcomers, transfers from different schools at about the same time that had caused rumors all around. Steve seems to perk up at a moment where he can possibly attack Tony (verbily, that is) but Bucky interrupts succinctly. 

“Involvement gets us free pizza, Antsy, so mind your own,” Bucky grins, breaking into barking laughter as Scott colors red. There had been an incident in Scott’s immigration into their collective, but that’s another story for another time. Bucky focuses on the way that Tony’s nose scrunches up when he laughs, pretty and adorable. It’s ruined when Steve takes  _ this  _ opportunity. 

“Free pizza, Tony. Nothin’s free. How do you want us to pay you back? Cash App? Venmo?” Steve asks sharply, raised eyebrows that cut the mood in half and filled it with tension. James rolls his eyes at the fact that Steve can actually get defensive about free pizza, but he supposes he gets it. The Rogers family has always had less money, and Steve has always been cagey for it. Bucky just doesn’t like the way that Tony immediately starts caving in around the edges, bitten lip nearly breaking under his pressure. Bucky wraps his metal arm around Tony’s shoulders and notices how Tony is settled by the weight of it. 

“Hey, Stevie, lay off. He’s just payin’ me back for a favor and you guys are reapin’ the benefits. Don’t make it somethin’ more than it is,” Bucky defends, squeezing Tony’s shoulders once before taking his arm back slowly, letting his hand linger on Tony’s shoulder for just a moment. Steve gives him one of those false smiles that he used to save for when he was punching someone much bigger than him in the face, but there’s not anyone  _ much bigger  _ than Stevie anymore. He just looks like a dick now. 

“And what is he paying you back for, Buck? You two look pretty buddy-buddy today,” Steve snarks, all raised eyebrows. The clench of Bucky’s metal fist makes a noise that’s too quiet for most of the table to hear, but Tony looks down at it in concern, smoothing it out by taking Bucky’s hand and holding it in his. Bucky doesn't react to it, doesn't know how, but he doesn't take his hand away either. He's not gay, he's never had a crush on a boy before, but... he thinks maybe everyone is at least a little attracted to Tony Stark, maybe. Maybe that's it, or maybe Bucky needs to read the writing on the wall and figure some shit out. 

"Justin Hammer was creeping on me earlier and Bucky helped me sort it out. God, Steve, what is your fucking damage?" Tony asks, which is obviously not something he should have asked, seeing as Steve rears back like he's been punched. 

"You really want me to talk about my 'fucking damage' right here at the table, Tony? You want people to hear my 'fucking damage?' Fine, let's talk about my fucking damage, if that's what you want," Steve says, angry and loud, and it doesn't silence the entire cafeteria like in some kind of movie, but it does silence the quiet conversations going on at their table like a shot has gone off. Bucky squeezes Tony's hand just a shade, just a bit of comfort because he's never seen his best friend like this against one of their own friends. 

He’s always been a ten pound bag of angry in a two pound bag, but not like this. 

"Steve, please calm down. I can't deal with this right now. It is not a good day for this," Tony says, low and quiet, and it somehow makes the table seem even more silent for it, just a shade too quiet for comfort. Bucky wants to sweep Tony up in a series of blankets, set Tony down in Bucky's own bed so that Bucky will know he's safe (because Bucky has met Tony's dad, however briefly, has seen the cavernous, echoing hallways of that house, has met the butler that is more father to Tony than anyone else) and happy. He wants to make Tony happy in a way that hits him with all of the subtlety of a freight train, but now is not the time. Steve breathes out slowly through his nose. 

"Fine. But we're gonna deal with this sooner or later, Tony," the blonde promises, making all of the suspicious protective instincts surge in Bucky. He doesn’t genuinely think that his best friend is going to hurt Tony, doesn’t even really think he’s capable of it, but the tone is enough that worry isn’t misplaced, Bucky thinks. Especially for how Tony is still clinging to his metal hand, fingers laced with it. 

_ “Alriiggghhht,” _ Clint drags out the word, looking between the three of them like they’re particularly fighty house cats that Clint doesn’t quite know how to deal with. "I'm just gonna gloss over that fuckin' weirdness, so let's move on! Anybody hear Tasha's hot goss yet? Our queen has struck again, boys! Tatty, give 'em the goods," Clint says, shimmying his shoulders. Clint is one of the best people for avoidance that Bucky has ever met. Give him a second and you'll even forget that he grew up in the circus. 

The conversation flows over Bucky in the way of a shower spray, easy enough to ignore. Instead of focusing on Natasha's story of her last night escapades of beating up some street thugs with Matt Murdock, a local blind kid they all know, as her backup. Bucky already knows because she live texted him about last night, so he can afford to be focused on the still linked hands between himself and Tony, and how much he doesn't mind it. It's probably something that should freak him out, some kind of gay panic in the middle of the cafeteria, but he feels strangely settled, like it's a long time coming. 

Stevie is still glaring daggers, but unless he's gonna use his words like a grownup, that's well enough none of Bucky's business. 

When the warning bell rings, instead of just dropping Tony's hand, Bucky walks him to his locker. He feels an awful bit like a gentleman, like he's walking Tony to his front door rather than to his locker, but that's likely all in his head. What's not in his head is the way that Tony cradles his textbook against his chest with his free hand, looking like a blushing school girl as he looks up at Bucky through his lashes. It makes Bucky feel like he's about three shades deep in a crush that he hadn't even realised was a thing before today, and he wants to kiss Tony Stark more than he's ever wanted anything. 

“Am I being walked to class right now?” Tony asks him, a raised eyebrow to make it seem like a joke, but Bucky just smiles, shrugging his shoulders. 

“If you wanna be, darlin’, I certainly am not opposed,” he drawls, looking down at Tony just as flirtatiously as Tony is looking up at him. They’re only about an inch or two difference in heights, barely anything at all, but it certainly feels like something when they’re this close. Bucky had hardly realised how close they were before Bruce tentatively knocks on the locker next to them, flashing a shy smile. 

“Hey, guys. Class starts in less than a minute, if you want to get going,” Bruce advises, tilting his head toward the hallway that leads to the gym for Bucky.  _ Oh fuck.  _ He gives Bruce a nod of thanks and puts a kiss on Tony’s cheek, breaking into a full sprint down the hall, dodging between students. It’s at  _ least  _ a three minute walk, so he’s gotta fucking haul ass. He only realises that he just kissed Tony on the cheek when he’s already inside of the locker room, hauling off his shirt and changing into his gym clothes. He nods to himself, not really regretting it, but a bit surprised by himself still. 

“Hey freak,” a fond voice says as it trails into the locker room. They’re words that would normally put Bucky on guard, ready to cover his scars and to fight, but it’s just Wade, and it’s basically all the two of them call each other at this juncture. Bucky nods back, flashing Wade a grin before he tosses on his shirt. 

“Sup freak?” Bucky greets, looking over Wade’s scars with the same openness that Wade looks at Bucky’s own. Where Bucky just has bad scarring at the one shoulder, Wade is covered in burn scars from where he lost his entire family to his childhood home burning down. He got in with his new foster family soon after Bucky’s accident, and Wade was a big help in Bucky’s acceptance of his own scars, not that the other boy would ever want to be told that. He’s not big on gratitude. 

Wade chatters about his life since Bucky last saw him (this time yesterday) while Bucky nods along, only vaguely focussing. Wade doesn’t mind so long as no one gets mad at him for rambling, and he knows that Bucky would deck anyone who tried to get pissy with him. With the metal hand. They go through the motions of their pre-gym prep, a few workouts that are required by their gym teacher.

He doesn't mean to tell Wade that he just kissed Tony's face in the middle of the hallway in front of Bruce and God and everybody, but it just comes out of his mouth unbidden. The boy makes himself very easy to talk to, in Bucky's defense. That's not true at all. Wade makes it hard to get a word in edgewise but has a predisposition for when someone is about to say something that will make the hottest gossip, and always seems to know exactly when to shut up. 

"Oh my God, no shit? Like actually, no shit? That's awesome, dude. It's October 28th, right?" Wade asks, to which Bucky nods in confusion. Wade pumps a fist in the air. "Me and Natasha won! Clint is gonna moan and groan about being three or so days off, but yes!" Bucky stops doing sit ups just to look at Wade. 

"What the fuck?" he asks simply, leaning his elbow on his knee and propping his chin on his hand. Wade grins. 

"You and Tony! Me and Natasha and Barton and Pietro and a few other people had a bet going on when you were finally gonna nut up and kiss him, and me and Tots won!" Wade buzzes excitedly, looking as if he's about to bounce off of the walls. Bucky considers him for a moment, thinking about who he owes what and why. 

"Does it count if I didn't actually kiss him? It was just a kiss on the cheek after all," he questions in a tone that makes it sound much as if he's not that invested, and Wade gains a look of contemplation with him. Tapping his chin, Wade makes a humming noise. 

"I guess it doesn't," he admits, biting his lip, "So, the bet is still on. But, if I told you about the bet while it's still on..." he trails off, looking at Bucky with wide eyes. They both know exactly what Natasha will make him do if he ruined a bet like that: if a participant in a bet informs one of the subjects of the bet, that participant must pay their equal due to each other participant, alongside some sort of physical task punishment allotted by Natasha at the time of the occurrence of the punishment. Last time, Clint had had to carry Darcy's book bag for an entire month after the girl had complained about it once within Natasha's hearing range. 

"It's okay, relax, I won't tell her. But, that means you can't tell them either. I owe Clint twenty bucks and ninety five cents. Will the price of the bet cover it?" he asks, because he doesn't always know. Sometimes, the bet will be as much as twenty bucks per, but he's also been in a bet where the ante was only a dollar and thirty two cents, so... it's unpredictable. Wade nods. 

"Yeah, he'll be getting about a hundred and five. You won't tell Tasha?" he asks, desperately trying to make sure. Bucky nods. 

"It'll be fine, Wade. Now, do some sit ups."  

The rest of gym passes just fine, but Bucky is still thinking about the bet. He’s still thinking about Tony, no matter how sappy it is. He doesn’t see Tony for the rest of the day, he knows that the other senior is on the other side of the school, but he wants to. He’ll find him after, he promises himself, texting Tony to ask him if he wants a ride home. Usually, Tony rides home with Rhodey since they live in similar areas, but Bucky wants to have a little more time with him, even if it’s just a few minutes. He blushes in the middle of his history class when Tony texts back with three exclamation points, sending a confirmation text after his obvious textual excitement. 

It’s when they’re trying to get into his car that Steve decides it’s time to throw a fit, but at least he waits until most of the parking lot is cleared out. 

“Tony! Let’s go ahead and do this, huh? You told me that you’d tell him months ago,” Steve says, anger obvious in his tone. Bucky doesn’t like the way that Tony cowers from the sheer volume of it, but he does not punch his best friend in the face, and he thinks that’s very rational of him. Instead, he has Tony slightly behind his left shoulder, half hidden behind the arm. Steve fixates on it in a way that makes Bucky less than comfortable. 

“Tell me what?” Bucky asks, raising one eyebrow. He doesn’t really care what it is if Tony doesn’t want to tell him - he has a thing about knowing things that people don’t want him to know, specifically that he does not like to do that - but if it makes this conversation shorter, so be it. Tony looks at him with wide eyes before they flash back to Steve. 

“If you don’t tell him, I will, Tony,” Steve says, lower now but still so angry. Tony looks down at the ground and just nods. 

“Tell me then. If you want me to know so badly, tell me,” Bucky insists. He does not like how Tony is looking right now, and the sooner that Steve gets whatever he wants off of his chest off it, he’ll calm down and they’ll be okay again. Steve heaves out an angry sigh that he really shouldn’t with the condition of his lungs, but that’s not really Bucky’s business, but anyway. He’ll be an overprotective best friend later. 

“Tony designed and invented your prosthetic. It wasn’t his dad like he said, he’s been lying to you the entire time. A teenager with very few regulations made the arm that’s attached to you, and he won’t even claim responsibility for it, not even just to you. His dad takes credit and responsibility for it so that Tony doesn’t have to. Tony doesn’t even have a degree! Howard just lets him do whatever unsafe bullshit he wants and - that’s it. Tony made your arm, and it’s not safe,” Steve explains, running out of steam. Bucky gives him a look of total confusion, wondering how someone could be so absolutely dim. 

“Yeah? I know Tony made it? Do you really think someone would allow it to be attached to me if it wasn’t safe though?” Bucky asks, to which Tony looks up at him, confused. 

“You knew it was me?” he asks, finally actually making eye contact, and Bucky smiles, nodding. 

“Of course I did, doll,” he says, turning his arm so that the outside of his forearm is obvious to both Tony and his best friend, “This? Is the same plating you used on Dum-e’s base. The joints in my fingers kinda look like Butterfingers’. The elbow has the same joint mechanics as Dum-e’s arm. I knew, darlin’. I can see you all over this arm, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” He looks at Tony with a kind of affection in his eyes that he doesn’t know how to curb as Steve rages in the background. 

“It’s not safe!” Steve insists, gesturing at Tony, “he doesn’t have any certifications for this!” Bucky breathes out, letting his shoulders relax. This is just Steve being Steve, overprotective and a wonderful best friend, even when Bucky doesn’t really need it. He’s just trying to look out for Bucky like they always look out for each other. He’s just trying to do right by him. 

“You don’t invent something completely alone, Stevie. I promise you that I am fine. Tony did alright,” he assures, watching as Steve deflates. The blonde bites his lip. 

“I didn’t like that he didn’t tell you, and it just… built up in my head. I’m really sorry, Tony,” Steve says as he turns slightly to address the smaller brunette, genuine regret in his features. Tony gives him one of the little smiles that half break Bucky’s heart, and just nods. 

“It’s alright, Cap. It’s all gonna be alright,” Tony says. 

Bucky kisses Tony twenty minutes later when they’re just outside of the mansion, but they don’t tell anyone it’s happened until October 31st. Clint high fives him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it! If you did, let me know how you feel in the comments! This, however, is not the place for your Steve Rogers salt. I don't want it. Thank you!
> 
> If you wanna prompt me, either do it in the comments or @halfwheeze on tumblr!
> 
> Leave a kudos!


End file.
